Time Inc. Postal Rates Records
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Abstract
When postal rates or other aspects of law governing postal delivery were changed, or may be changed, in ways Time Inc. found unfavorable, it advocated for its position with Congress and the public. This collection contains information used in those activities such as bills put before Congress on the topic of postal rates and law, correspondence between people within Time Inc. and with members of Congress, proceedings of the Postal Commission including witness testimony, reports on the costs of postal delivery, and examples of Time Inc.'s direct mail marketing.
Historical Note
Being primarily in the business of selling magazines that must be shipped to subscribers and newsstands, Time Inc. was a heavy user of the postal system and was sensitive to increases in postal rates and other changes in classification of mail. When unfavorable changes to rates and/or laws were proposed by the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) or Congress in the late 1960s and early-to-mid 1970s, Time Inc., along with other publishers, advocated for their positions by contacting members of Congress and running articles in Time to explain their position to the public. Two individuals at Time Inc. particularly represented in this collection are Raymond J. "Ray" Mitchell's, Director of Time Inc.'s Alternative Distribution Program, and Winston H. "Tony" Cox, Assistant to the Group Vice-President for Magazines.
Arrangement
The materials within the Time Inc. Postal Rates Records record group are organized into six series: Series I. Time Inc. Preparations for Cases; Series II. Mail Classification Schedule Proceedings; Series III. Cost Ascertainment Reports; Series IV. Direct Mail Exhibits; Series V. Raymond J. Mitchell Files; and Series VI. Winston H. Cox Files.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of files kept as information for Time Inc. advocacy efforts and includes copies of bills put before Congress on the topic of postal rates and law, correspondence between people within Time Inc. and with members of Congress, presentations produced on the subjects of postal costs by Time Inc. personnel, proceedings of the Postal Commission including witness testimony and questions to witness from Time Inc. and other parties, reports from the United States Post Office Department on the costs of delivery, and examples of Time Inc.'s direct mail marketing.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Materials in this collection are stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Open to qualified researchers with the exception of restricted materials. Restricted materials include contracts and are located in box R86.
Conditions Governing Use
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This record group should be cited as Time Inc. Postal Rates Records, MS 3009-RG 57, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Time Inc. in 2015.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The Time Inc. Postal Rates Records were processed by Allen Thomas in 2021. The original folders were retained where present; loose material was foldered. Generic binders were disassembled and not retained, and their contents rehoused. The records were organized into series based on the original groupings of folders, and arrangement was imposed. Allen Thomas created the inventory and other descriptive notes to produce this finding aid.